The 21 Coptic Christians slaughtered by members of the so-called “Islamic State” in Libya, have been officially recognised as martyrs – a fact that ought to give Christians everywhere both hope, and a sense of pause: hope, because their witness of faith is an ever-present reminder of Christ’s victory; pause, because a misplaced enthusiasm could hurt the cause of the very gospel for which they gave their lives.

It happened. I tried to stifle the laugh, but it was impossible. She was just too funny, too sassy, too real… St. Thérèse of Lisieux had literally made me laugh out loud in adoration. How embarrassingly awesome.

Pope Francis has declared a 10th-century Armenian mystic, poet and monk to be a Doctor of the Universal Church. Born around AD 950, St Gregory of Narek “is widely revered as one of the greatest figures of medieval Armenian religious thought and literature”, Vatican Radio reported.

In 1858 in the grotto of Massabielle, near Lourdes, France, the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared 18 times to Bernadette Soubirous, a 14 year old peasant girl. She identified herself as The Immaculate Conception. She gave Bernadette a message for all: "Pray and do penance for the conversion of the world." The Church investigated Bernadette's claims for four years before approving devotion to Our Lady of Lourdes. Lourdes has since become one of the most famous shrines, attracting more than a million pilgrims each year. There have been thousands of miraculous cures at this shrine.

On May 20, 1990 in St. Peter's Square, St. John Paul II beatified Pier Giorgio Frassati, calling him the "Man of the Eight Beatitudes". Through his example, Bl. Pier Giorgio proclaims that a life lived in Christ's Spirit, the Spirit of the Beatitudes, is blessed and that only the person who becomes a "man or woman of the Beatitudes" can succeed in communicating love and peace to others.

Xt3's 2015 Lent Calendar has an Indigenous Australian theme. It is also a great opportunity to reflect on the story of our faith in other cultures all around the world. Today, we are looking at the story of the North American martyrs. How much do you know about them?

St Scholastica was the twin sister of St Benedict of Nursia, the great leader of monks. St Scholastica also followed Our Lord's call to religious life, and founded numerous religious communities in her lifetime. She is the Patron Saint of Nuns. Watch this video for more about today's Saint!

Two Polish priest killed by a Communist group in Peru were among those recognized as martyrs by Pope Francis on Feb. 3. Father Michele Tomaszek and Father Zbigneo Strzalkowski of the Conventual Friars Minor, were killed Aug. 9, 1991, by the “Shining Path” terrorist group in Peru. At the time of their death, they were 31 and 33 years old, respectively.